Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Young adult | fantasy | Romance
Goodreads rating: 4.21
My rating: ★★★★★

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up (Goodreads).

Carry On was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015 and boy did it live up to my expectations. To clear things up, since I wasn’t too sure myself at first: this is not Cath’s fanfic. This is Rainbow Rowell’s own fanfic. Basically, it’s a fanfic of a fanfic based on a fictional book series that is based on a real book series in a book. ARE YOU CONFUSED YET? It’s like bookception.

Anyway, we got snippets of Cath’s fanfic in Fangirl, but Rainbow Rowell’s own fanfic is so much better. It’s not just about Simon and Baz and them falling in love (but of course it is and it’s glorious and brilliant and beautiful and adorable and just dsnjf), it’s also about the war with the Humdrum, friendship, school, magic, feeling accepted, growing up and so much more. You could see it as the final Simon Snow book actually, but probably better, since we know from Fangirl that Snowbaz would never be canon in the actual books (‘actual books’ I’m talking about this fictional book series like it actually exists).

I don’t know how to write this review guys. I just don’t. CARRY ON IS PERFECT AND WHO NEEDS DRUGS WHEN YOU CAN GET HIGH ON SNOWBAZ (siriusly I was so giddy after finishing this because Simon and Baz are OTP). I  kind of shipped them in Fangirl, but I didn’t really think that much of Simon and Baz. My attention was on Cath and Levi, but now? Now I just can’t stop thinking about the perfection that is Snowbaz.

My face throughout most of this book was:

Though to be honest this is my face A LOT lately, when it comes to shipping.

Okay since I have so many feels (and it’s been almost a month since I read it woops) and I feel like this review is all over the place, I’m going to put the rest of my review in a list of what I loved, yay!

• I loved how the book was told in multiple povs, and not just Simon’s (which I expected at first)
• There are multiple plot points that all connect to each other at some point beautifully.
• There was just so much more going on than just a romance (which is expected of Rainbow Rowell)
• The romance was developed beautifully and realistically
• All the worldbuilding
• The magic system is really cool: It’s based on words. Even songs can be spells. It’s just so unique and I love it.
• Penelope frickin Bunce
• The mysteries
• All the twists on the tropes
• The ending oh MY GOD I LOVE IT

Have you read Carry On yet? If not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? If you have, let me know what you thought about it!